20 Apr 10. Raytheon Company and The Boeing Company fired the first Joint
Air-to-Ground Missile during a test funded by the two companies. The weapon, fired from a ground-based rotary-wing launcher, performed a series of preprogrammed maneuvers and flew to a predesignated location, validating the flight control software and Brimstone airframe. The mission met all primary test objectives. “The Raytheon-Boeing JAGM is on track to demonstrate our low-risk entry into the engineering manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the program,” said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems.
“The missile uses existing technologies to provide the warfighter a cost-effective, low-risk and highly capable solution for destroying a wide range of stationary and moving targets in all weather conditions.”
The Raytheon-Boeing JAGM features proven components from other Raytheon and Boeing programs including the Raytheon GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II and Boeing Brimstone. “We had a successful flight of the control test vehicle and anticipate achieving additional milestones with a successful series of guided test vehicle missile firings as a culmination of our technology demonstration phase,” said Carl Avila, director of Boeing Advanced Weapons and Missile Systems. “Our system-solution approach to the JAGM program will carry forward into EMD, setting the stage for success. Boeing’s extensive experience integrating weapons
on the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and AH-64D Apache Longbow combined with
Raytheon’s proficiency in seeker design and integration make our JAGM the
lowest-risk and lowest total-cost solution.”
22 Apr 10. The General Service Administration (GSA) in the United States has signed a general agreement with a long-term sales partner of Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH. “By entering the contract number, US agencies and the corresponding user can purchase our high-quality targeting and observation optics directly online,” says Hans Ziegner, explaining the significance of the agreement. This successful step on the US market is the result of long and intensive negotiations between the sales partner and US authorities. The products of the Hensoldt line, in particular, are very popular in the US military and security forces as a result of their unparalleled precision and craftsmanship. Founded in 1949, the GSA supplies all US agencies with materials and services.
19 Apr 10. Bayern-Chemie, a fully owned (100%) subsidiary of MBDA Deutschland, successfully carried out two gel demonstrator test flights at the German Armed Forces Test Range in Meppen in December 2009. Following several years of intensive R&D, the results of these flights prove that all functions of this gelled propellant propulsion technology have reached the TRL 6 (Technology Readiness Level 6). Essentially, the gel feeding system and the thrust modulation device worked as predicted during the relevant flight phases. Propulsion systems using gelled propellants combine the advantages of systems using solid propellants (readiness for immediate use, safe and easy handling) with the advantages of systems using liquid propellants (variable thrust). Whilst in the missile fuel tank, the gelled propellant behaves like a solid propellant therefore damage to the missile’s mechanical structure will not result in the propellant leaking. In addition, vapour pressure is very low, hence eliminating the “fireball” risk. On being injected into the combustor, the propellant looses its gelled structure and transforms into a liquid. Propellant feed is carried out using a solid gas generator or pressurized gas. The benefits of this propulsion technology are the variability of thrust for mission adapted thrust profiles, the very high degree of insensitivity (no reaction at fast and slow cook-off), low smoke and low signature, an environmentally friendly propellant and exhaust gas (green propellant) and easy handling regarding the logistics chain. Gelled prop